May 8, 2012

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Tournament Central

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland women's golf team is set to compete in the NCAA East Regional this weekend at the par-72, 7,228-yard Blue Course at Penn State Golf Courses. First round action begins Thursday, May 10. The second round will be played Friday, May 11 with the final round on Saturday, May 12.

A total of 24 teams will compete in the regional along with six individuals. Eight teams and two individuals will advance from the regional to the NCAA Women's Golf Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club on May 22-25.

The Terps
Maryland enters the regional after a seventh-place finish at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and ranked 54th in the most recent Golfstat Rankings.

All-ACC performer Juliet Vongphoumy leads the team in scoring average (73.72). The native of Providence, R.I., has five top-10 finishes this year and tied for 12th at the ACC Championship.

Junior Christine Shimel tied for 17th at the conference championship and is second on the team in scoring (74.52). Shimel has seven top-20 finishes in 10 events.

Senior Jessica Hollandsworth is the most seasoned member of the team heading into the tournament. It is Hollandsworth's fourth consecutive appearance at regionals. She competed as an individual in 2009 and 2011.

After a slow start to the year, sophomore Emily Gimpel came on strong during the spring season. Gimpel notched two top-10 finishes including a tie for eighth at the John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate to help Maryland capture its third team championship of the year.

Maryland in the NCAA Championships
It is Maryland's fourth trip to the NCAA Regionals and first since 2010. The Terps have never advanced to the NCAA Championship.

The squad posted its best finish in 2006 when the Terps tied for 14th with an 898 (305-294-299). The second-round 294 is the lowest team round all-time in NCAA competition.

Hollandsworth tied for 11th in 2009 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla., playing as an individual with a 7-over 217 (76-71-70). The Floyd, Va., native's performance is the best all-time for a Maryland women's golfer.

The Field
The 24-team field includes Southeastern Conference powerhouses Alabama, Florida and South Carolina, along with Pac-12 stalwarts Arizona and Arizona State. The participants are listed below according to seed. Conference champions are in parenthesis.

1. Alabama
2. Arizona State
3. Duke (ACC)
4. Texas A&M
5. Florida
6. Arizona
7. Oklahoma State
8. South Carolina
9. Michigan State (Big Ten)
10. Washington
11. Texas
12. Tulane
13. UCF
14. Wake Forest
15. Northwestern
16. San Diego State
17. Kent State (Mid-American)
18. Maryland
19. Augusta State
20. Campbell (Big South)
21. Chattanooga (Southern)
22. Oral Roberts (Summit)
23. Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley)
24. LIU Brooklyn (Northeast)

Live Coverage
Golfstat will provide live scoring for each round.

Schedule of Events
First Round Pairings

First Group:
7:30 a.m. - Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Michigan State (Hole 1)
7:30 a.m. - Washington, Texas, Tulane (Hole 10)
8:36 a.m. - Alabama, Arizona State, Duke (Hole 1)
8:36 a.m. - Texas A&M, Florida, Arizona (Hole 10)

Second Group:
12:00 p.m. - UCF, Wake Forest, Northwestern (Hole 1)
12:00 p.m. - San Diego State, Kent State, Maryland (Hole 10)
12:55 p.m. - Augusta State, Campbell, Chattanooga (Hole 1)
12:55 p.m. - Oral Roberts, Jacksonville State, LIU Brooklyn (Hole 10)

Second Round Pairings

First Group:
7:30 a.m. - San Diego State, Kent State, Maryland (Hole 1)
7:30 a.m. - UCF, Wake Forest, Northwestern (Hole 10)
8:25 a.m. - Oral Roberts, Jacksonville State, LIU Brooklyn (Hole 1)
8:25 a.m. - Augusta State, Campbell, Chattanooga (Hole 10)

Second Group:
11:50 a.m. - Washington, Texas, Tulane (Hole 1)
11:50 a.m. - Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Michigan State (Hole 10)
12:56 p.m. - Texas A&M, Florida, Arizona (Hole 1)
12:56 p.m. - Alabama, Arizona State, Duke (Hole 10)

Final round pairings will be determined based on the standings after the second round.

- Terps -